= Pn ag sy ATC JANUARY TO OCTOBER 2019 CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR COMPETITIVE EXAMS aU OL UGTACurrent Affairs 2019 India ranks 63 in World Bank’s Doing Busi- ness Report [24 Oct 2019] The World Bank released its latest Doing Business Report(DBR, 2020) on 24th Octo- ber 2019. India has recorded a jump of 14 positions against its rank of 77 in 2019 tobe placed now at 63rd rank among 190 coun- tries assessed by the World Bank. India's leap of 14 ranks in the Ease of Doing Busi- ness ranking is significant considering that there has been continuous improvement since 2015 and for the third consecutive year India is amongst the top 10 improvers. As a result of continued efforts by the Gov- ernment, India has improved its rank by 79 positions in last five years. Chenani Nashari Tunnel renamed after Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee [24 Oct 2019] Union Minister for Road Transport & High- ways and MSME Shri Nitin Gadkari and Shri Jitendra Singh, MoS (I/C) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic En- ergy and Space announced renaming of Chenani Nashri Tunnel on NH 44 in Jammu & Kashmir as Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel in an event in New Delhi. This 9 kmtunnel is the longest such state of art tun- nel in the country, connecting Udhampur to Ramban in Jammu. Constructed at a cost of Rs 2500 crore, it cuts down 31 km of travel distance and reduces the travel time be- tween the two points by about two hours, in addition to substantial saving in fuel cost. Successful Firing of The Brahmos Surface To Surface Missile at Trak Island [23 Oct 2019] Indian Air Force BrahMos unit has success- fully fired two Surface to Surface missiles at Trak Island in Andaman Nicobar group of islands on 21st & 22nd Oct 19. The twin firings have been carried out by the IAF as a part of training mission. The Brah- Mos land attack cruise missiles engaged the designated mock targets close to300 Km away and achieved direct hit in both the cases. The launch was smooth and both the missiles followed the desired trajectory. The firing by IAF demonstrates the mobility and agility of IAF units to operationally deploy and launch at targets withpin-point accu- racy. RIL hits ?9 trillion market cap, a first for an Indian company [18 Oct 2019]The Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has become the first Indian com- pany to cross ?9 trillion market capitaliza- tion after its shares rose nearly 2% to hit ? 1,423. The shares have surged nearly 26% since January. World's first megaplex launched in India [16 Oct 2019] Inox has launched world's first megaplex in Mumbai, India with an investment in the range of Rs 50 to Rs 60 crore. It has 11 screens and six experiential cinema for- mats, Global Hunger Index India slips to 102nd [15 Oct 2019] India trails at a miserable 102nd among 117 countries in the 2019 Global Hunger Index (GHI) released on October 15. The rank is significant because the country seems to have regressed from its 95th rank in 2010 and stands way below its neigh- bours and BRICS' peers. Alarmingly, India was the worst performer when it came to child wasting (age appropriate weight), clocking a dismal 20.8 percent. Among in- fants aged 6-23 months, merely 9.6 percent received the ‘minimum acceptable diet'. Thechild stunting rate at 37.9 percent, was also termed 'very high’. Margaret Atwood, Bernardine Evaristo cre- ate history by jointly winning the Booker Prize [15 Oct 2019] The prestigious Booker Prize for Fiction jointly goes to Canadian author Margaret Atwood for 'The Testaments' and Anglo- Nigerian author Bernardine Evaristo for ‘Girl, Woman, Other'. Atwood becomes only the second female author to win the award twice. Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences 2019 [14 Oct 2019] The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2019 was awarded jointly to Abhijit Banerjee, Es- ther Duflo and Michael Kremer "for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty." Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed Ali wins Nobel Peace Prize for 2019 [11 Oct 2019] The Nobel Peace Prize 2019 was awarded to Abiy Ahmed Ali "for his efforts to achievepeace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to re- solve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea." Forbes India Rich List 2019 [11 Oct 2019] Mukesh Ambani - Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries (Net worth: $51.4 billion) Gautam Adani - Founder and Chairman, Adani Group (Net Worth: $15.7 billion) Hinduja Brothers - Hinduja Group (Net worth: $15.6 billion) Pallonji Mistry - Shapoorji Pallonji Group (Net worth: $15 billion) Uday Kotak - Founder and Chairman, Kotak Mahindra Bank (Net worth: $14.8 billion) Shiv Nadar - Founder and Chairman, HCL Technologies (Net Worth: $14.4 billion) Radhakishan Damani - Founder, Avenue Su- permarts (Net worth: $14.3 billion) Godrej Family - Godrej Group (Net worth: $12 billion) Lakshmi Mittal - Chairman and CEO, ArcelorMittal (Net worth: $10.5 billion) Kumar Birla - Chairman, Aditya Birla Group (Net worth: $9.6 billion)2019 Nobel Prize in Literature awarded to Austrian author Peter Handke [10 Oct 2019] Austrian author Peter Handke has won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature. Peter Handke was awarded "for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has ex- plored the periphery and the specificity of human experience." 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded for work that led to smartphone batteries [09 Oct 2019] The 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to John B. Goodenough, M. Stan- ley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino "for the development of lithium-ion batteries". John B. Goodenough was born in Germany in 1922 and is currently at the University of Texas in the US. M. Stanley Whittingham was born in 1941 in the UK and currently teaches at the Binghamton University in the US. Akira Yoshino was born in 1948 in Japan and is currently a professor at the Meijo Uni- versity in Japan. James Peebles, Michel Mayor, Didier Queloz win Nobel physics prize for discoveries in astronomy [08 Oct 2019]Canadian-American cosmologist James Pee- bles and Swiss scientists Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz won the 2019 Nobel Prize for Physics "for revealing the wonder of the evo- lution of the universe and discovering plan- ets orbiting distant suns". 2019 Nobel Prize: Kaelin, Ratcliffe, Semenza jointly awarded for work on cells, oxygen [07 Oct 2019] Scientists William G Kaelin, Jr, Peter J Rat- cliffe and Gregg L Semenza received the Nobel Prize jointly for their discoveries of "how cells sense and adapt to oxygen avail- ability". Naomi Osaka Won China Open [06 Oct 2019] Japan's Naomi Osaka fought back from a set down to beat Australian world number one Ash Barty 3-6 6-3 6-2 in the final of the China Open in Beijing. Dominic Thiem defeats Stefanos Tsitsipas to claim China Open 2019 [06 Oct 2019] Top seed Dominic Thiem overcame a one- set deficit to defeat third seed Stefanos Tsit-sipas in the men's final of the 2019 China Open. American Muhammad breaks own world record to win 400m hurdles [05 Oct 2019] American Dalilah Muhammad broke her own world record to win the women’s 400 metres hurdles at the world championships with a time of 52.16 seconds, edging out compatriot Sydney McLaughlin in a grip- ping race. The 29-year-old Muhammad, the 2016 Olympic champion, crossed the finish line 0.04 seconds faster than her previous world record set in July Salwa Eid Naser elated with record 400m world title [04 Oct 2019] Bahrain's Salwa Eid Naser destroyed the field and stunned Olympic champion Shau- nae Miller-Uibo as she became the first Asian to win the women's 400 metres world title. The Nigerian-born Eid Naser, 21, surged past Miller-Uibo on the back straight to win in 48.14 seconds, the third fastest time in history. Sachin Tendulkar gets Most Effective Swachhata Ambassador award at Safaigiri 2019 [02 Oct 2019]Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar bagged the 'Most Effective Swachhata Ambassador' award at India Today Group's fifth edition of the Safaigiri Awards for utilizing his popu- larity and fame to ensure India achieves its goal of a Swachh Bharat. Sachin Tendulkar has been promoting cleanliness drives in India for almost 10 years. World Bank's Georgieva approved as new IMF chief [26 Sep 2019] Bulgarian economist Kristalina Georgieva was confirmed as managing director of the International Monetary Fund, becoming the first head of the $1 trillion-asset global lender from an emerging market economy. Amitabh Bachchan to be honoured with Dada Saheb Phalke award [25 Sep 2019] Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan has been named for the prestigious Dada Sahab Phalke award for his outstanding contri- bution to the film industry. The award is conferred by the Government for outstand- ing contribution to the growth and devel- opment of Indian Cinema. It consists of a Swarn Kamal and a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh rupees. The 76-year-old screen icon, who rose to stardom with his 'Angry Young Man'persona capturing the anger of the young generation in the 1970s with films such as "Zanjeer", "Deewar" and "Sholay", continues to be a force to reckon with in Indian cin- ema. Gandhi Solar Park inaugurated at UN HQ [25 Sep 2019] PM Modi along with others world leaders also inaugurated the Gandhi Solar Park at the UN headquarters and released a com- memorative stamp issued by the UN on the occasion of Gandhi's 150th birth anniver- sary. Lionel Messi wins FIFA Player of the Year for record-sixth time [25 Sep 2019] Argentine Lionel Messi beat Liverpool de- fender Virgil van Dijk and five time win- ner Cristiano Ronaldo to win the best FIFA player of the year award for a record sixth time. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg wins Alternative Nobel [25 Sep 2019] Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg is among four people named as the winnersof a Right Livelihood Award, also known as the "Alternative Nobel". Thunberg is being recognized for inspiring and amplifying po- litical demands for urgent climate action reflecting scientific facts, the prize founda- tion said. It added that the 16-year-old, who has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, personifies the notion that everyone has the power to create change. Her ex- ample has inspired and empowered people from all walks of life to demand political ac- tion. PM Modi announces $150 mn line of credit to group of Pacific island nations [25 Sep 2019] Prime Minister Narendra Modi has an- nounced a $150 million line of credit to the group of Pacific island nations for under- taking solar, renewable energy and climate related projects based on their require- ment.Modi, who attended the India-Pacific Islands Developing States (PSIDS) Leaders' Meeting, also announced a total allocation of $12 million to the member states to- wards implementation of high impact de- velopmental project in the area of their choice. Govt names new civilian award for national unity after Sardar Patel [25 Sep 2019]The government has instituted a new civil- ian award in the name of Sardar Vallab- hbhai Patel that would recognise notable and inspiring contributions towards In- dia's unity and integrity. The award, which would not be conferred posthumously ex- cept in very rare and highly deserving cases, would comprise a medal and a citation. PT Usha honoured with IAAF Veteran Pin [25 Sep 2019] Indian track and field legend P T Usha was presented the Veteran Pin by the world ath- letics governing body, in recognition of her contribution to the growth of sport. IAAF chief Sebastian Coe presented her the Vet- eran Pin during the 52nd IAAF Congress. Pankaj Advani, Aditya Mehta win world team snooker title for India [25 Sep 2019] The Indian duo of Pankaj Advani and Aditya Mehta overcame a tough Thai team to emerge world champions in the IBSF World Snooker Team event. U.S. co-captain Megan Rapinoe won the women's top award [24 Sep 2019]U.S. co-captain Megan Rapinoe won the women's top award after helping her coun- try to the World Cup title this year in a tour- nament considered to be a milestone in the development and expansion of women's football internationally. Naomi Osaka becomes 1st Japanese won Pan Pacific Open since Kimiko Date [23 Sep 2019] Naomi Osaka lifted her first trophy since winning the Australian Open in Jan- uary, blasting past Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2 6-3 in the Pan Pacific Open final.Her victory marked a return to the ruthless form that helped world num- ber four Osaka claim last year's US Open crown before her Melbourne success, with the 21-year-old not dropping a set all week in Osaka, Japan. Amit Panghal has won a silver in World Box- ing Championship [22 Sep 2019] Amit Panghal, who created history by be- coming the first male Indian boxer to qual- ify for a World Boxing Championship final, lost the final to Uzbekistan’s Shakhobidin Zoirov. Panghal won the silver medal, be- coming the first Indian male boxer ever todo so. He competed in the 52kg flyweight category. Bajrang Punia clinches bronze in Wrestling World Championship [21 Sep 2019] Bajrang Punia staged another late come- back in the 65-kg bronze medal match at the Wrestling World Championship in Kazakhstan. He had won a silver at this event last year. He had won a bronze medal in 2013. Vice Chief of Air Staff RKS Bhadauria ap- pointed next Chief of Air Staff [19 Sep 2019] Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria, PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC, presently Vice Chief of Air Staff as the next Chief of the Air Staff after the retirement of Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, VM, ADC on 30th Sep- tember 2019. Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria was commissioned into the Fighter Stream of Indian Air Force in June 1980, and has held various Command, Staff and Instruc- tional Appointments at various levels in- cluding the present one as Vice Chief of Air Staff. Shri Rajnath Singh becomes first Raksha Mantrito fly ‘LCA Tejas’ [19 Sep 2019]Shri Rajnath Singh has scripted history by becoming the first Raksha Mantri to fly the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) ‘Tejas’. Shri Rajnath Singh undertook 30-minute sortie in the indigenously-built multi-role fighter aircraft with Air Vice Marshal Narmdesh- war Tiwari, at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Airport in Bengaluru this morning. Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited de- livers second Scorpene submarine“KHAN- DERI” to Indian Navy [19 Sep 2019] Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) called "Ship Builder to the Nation", is one of India’s leading Defence public sector un- dertaking shipyards under the Ministry of Defencecontinuing their service to the na- tion with "Make in India" programme. They delivered the second Scorpene submarine 'KHANDERI to the Indian Navy at an event held in Mumbai. The submarine ‘KHAN- DERI is named after the wide snouted Saw fish, a deadly sea predator of the great In- dian Ocean. The first Submarine Khanderi was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 06th December 1968 and decommissioned on 18th October 1989 after more than 20 years of yeoman service to the nation.Air-to-Air missile Astra successfully flight tested from Su-30 MKI[17 Sep 2019] Air-to-Air missile, ASTRA, has been suc- cessfully flight tested on 16 September 2019 off the coast of Odisha. The missile was launched from Su-30 MKI as a part of User trials. The live aerial target was en- gaged accurately demonstrating the capa- bility of first indigenous air-to-air missile. Lakshya Sen wins Belgian International badminton title [15 Sep 2019] Rising Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen stunned second seed Victor Svendsen of Denmark in straight games to clinch the men's singles title at the Belgian International Challenge. Shri PK Sinha appointed Principal Advisor to Prime Minister [11 Sep 2019] Shri PK Sinha, currently functioning as OSD in the Prime Minister's Office, has been ap- pointed the Principal Advisor to the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Shri Sinha served as Cabinet Secretary from 13th June 2015 to 30th August 2019. He was a 1977 Batch IAS officer from Uttar Pradesh Cadre. During his illustrious career, Shri Sinha has served as Secretary in the Ministries ofPower and Shipping. He also served as Spe- cial Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. Dr PK Mishra takes over as Principal Secre- tary to the Prime Minister [11 Sep 2019] Dr Pramod Kumar Mishra, has been ap- pointed as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India. Dr Mishra has varied work experience in the management of pro- grammes relating to agriculture, disaster management, power sector,infrastructure financing, and regulatory issues and has an outstanding career profile comprising research, publications, policy formulation and programme/project management. DRDO successfully flight-tests indige- nously developed low weight, fire & forget Man Portable Antitank Guided Missile [11 Sep 2019] Defence Research and Development Organ- isation (DRDO) successfully flight tested in- digenously developed low weight, fire and forget Man Portable Antitank Guided Mis- sile (MPATGM) in the ranges of Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh. The missile was launched from a man portable Tripod launcher and the target was mimicking a functional tank.The missile hit the target in top attack mode and destroyed it with precision. All the mis- sion objectives were met. Rafael Nadal wins 4th US Open title [09 Sep 2019] Rafael Nadal captured his 19th career Grand Slam title by winning the US Open final, outlasting Russia’s Daniil Medvedev to seize his fourth crown in New York. The 33- year-old Spanish left-hander moved one shy of Roger Federer’s all-time men’s record 20 Grand Slam triumphs and became the sec- ond-oldest New York champion in the Open era after Ken Rosewall in 1970 at age 35. 69th Inter Services Athletics Championship being held at Army Sports Institute, Pune [07 Sep 2019] 69th Inter Service Athletics Championship is being held at Army Sports Institute, Pune, from O07 to 10 Sept 19. Over a period of these four days some of the best athletes of the nation would be competing against each other in the Championship. 28TH Indo-Thai CORPAT [06 Sep 2019]28th edition of India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) between the In- dian Navy (IN) and the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) is being conducted from 05 - 15 Sep- tember 2019. Indian Naval (IN) Ship Ke- sari and His Majesty’s Thailand Ship (HTMS) Kraburi along with Maritime Patrol Aircraft from both the navies are participating in the CORPAT. Indian Navy ships and aircraft of Andaman and Nicobar Command have been participating in the biannual Coordi- nated Patrol (CORPAT) with the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) since 2003. Smt Harsimrat Badal inaugurates First Mega Food Park in Lakkampally of Telan- gana [06 Sep 2019] Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Hon’ble Union Minister of Food Processing Industries in- augurated the first Mega Food Park in Telangana promoted by M/s Smart Agro Food Park Pvt. Ltd. at Village Lakkampally, Nandipet Mandal of Nizamabad District, Telangana state. Cabinet approves Infusion of capital by Gov- ernment in IDBI Bank [03 Sep 2019] The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approvedthe Infusion of Rs 4,557 crore by Govern- ment in IDBI Bank. It will help in complet- ing the process of IDBI Bank’s turnaround and enable it to return to profitability and normal lending, and giving Government the option of recovering its investment at an opportune time. CEC Sh Sunil Arora Assumes Chairmanship of Association of World Election Bodies [03 Sep 2019] Chief Election Commissioner, Shri Sunil Arora assumed Chairmanship of Associa- tion of World Election Bodies (AWEB) for the term 2019-21 as India takes over the Chair from Romania. India was unani- mously nominated to be the Vice-Chair of AWEB at the last General Assembly held at Bucharest in 2017. The AWEB Flag was handed over to the new Chairman, Sh. Sunil Arora by the Representative of Outgo- ing Chair, Mr. Ion Mincu Radulescu, Advisor, Permanent Election Authority Romania. The President of India has appointed five new Governor [02 Sep 2019] The President of India has appointed fol- lowing Governor:(1) Shri Kalraj Mishra, Governor of Hi- machal Pradesh is transferred and ap- pointed as Governor of Rajasthan. (2) Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari as Governor of Maharashtra (3) Shri Bandaru Dattatraya as Governor of Himachal Pradesh (4) Shri Arif Mohammed Khan as Governor of Kerala (5) Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan as Governor of Telangana Lt Gen MM Naravane assumes appointment of VCOAS [01 Sep 2019] Lt Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane assumed the charge of Vice Chief of the Army Staff on 01 Sep 2019. He succeeds Lt Gen Devraj Anbu who after an illustrious career, su- perannuated on 31 Aug 2019. Before this, the General Officer was heading the Eastern Command of the Indian Army. Shri Rajiv Gauba Takes Over as the New Cab- inet Secretary [30 Aug 2019] Shri Rajiv Gauba took over as the new Cab- inet Secretary in the Government of India after the superannuation of Shri P.K. Sinha. He is an IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre andhas held important assignments like Union Home Secretary, Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India and Chief Secretary, Jharkhand. He has also represented India at the International mon- etary Fund. PM launches the Fit India Movement [29 Aug 2019] The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the Fit India Movement at a cere- mony in New Delhi on the occasion of Na- tional Sports Day. The Prime Minister urged the people of the country to make fitness their life style. PV Sindhu became the first Indian to win badminton World Championships gold [25 Aug 2019] PV Sindhu became the first Indian to win badminton World Championships gold by beating familiar rival Nozomi Okuhara of Japan. 45th Annual Group of 7 (G7) Summit. [24 Aug 2019]The G7 summit will take place from Au- gust 24 to 26 in Biarritz, France. The Group of Seven is a group consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These seven countries, named the G7 coun- tries, are those with the seven largest IMF-described advanced economies in the world, representing 58 percent of the global net wealth which equates to $317 trillion (£260,540 billion). Dr Ajay Kumar appointed Defence Secretary [22 Aug 2019] Dr Ajay Kumar, a 1985-batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre, has been appointed as Defence Secretary in the Ministry of Defence. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Dr Kumar who will replace Shri Sanjay Mitra, a 1982-batch IAS officer of West Bengal cadre, upon the completion of his term. Govt. approves appointment of Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla as Home Secretary [22 Aug 2019] The Appointments Committee of the Cabi- net has approved the appointment of Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla, IAS, Officer on SpecialDuty, Ministry of Home Affairs as Home Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs. National Sports Awards -2019 [20 Aug 2019] National Sports Awards -2019 announced Bajrang Punia and Deepa Malik to get Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. Pune’s Varun settles for bronze in Bulgar- ian Junior International Badminton Cham- pionships 2019 [14 Aug 2019] Varun Kapur from Nikhil Kanetkar Bad- minton Academy (NKBA) wins bronze medal at the Bulgarian Junior International Championships 2019, which took place at Pazardzhik, Bulgaria. Second seeded Varun lost to fifth seeded Magnus Johannesen from Denmark 20-22, 19-21 in the semi- finals of the under-19 boys singles event. Aruna Vasudev presented one of France’s highest cultural awards [13 Aug 2019] Aruna Vasudev, leading film scholar, editor and painter, was presented the Officier de lOrdre des Arts et des Lettres (Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters), one of France’shighest cultural honours, for her contribu- tion to cinema and arts. French ambassador Alexandre Ziegler conferred the award on Vasudev at a ceremony. 66th National Film Awards for 2018 [09 Aug 2019] 66th National Film Awards for 2018 an- nounced. Gujarati film Hellaro wins Best Feature Film Award. Badhaai Ho bags award for Best Popular Film Providing Whole- some Entertainment. Hindi movie Padman declared Best Film on Social Issues. Aditya Dhar wins Best Director Award for Uri: The Surgical Strike. Ayushman Khurana and Vicky Kaushal jointly win Best Actor Award for their performances in Andhadhun and Uri: The Surgical Strike. Keerthy Suresh bags Best Actress trophy for her perfor- mance in Telugu movie Mahanati. Marathi movie Paani wins the award for Best Film on Environment Conservation/ Preserva- tion. Kannada film Ondalla Eradalla gets Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. Uttarakhand declared Most Film Friendly State President of India Presents Bharat Ratna Awards [08 Aug 2019]The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, presented Bharat Ratna Awards to Shri Nanaji Deshmukh (posthumously), Dr Bhupendra Kumar Hazarika (posthu- mously) and Shri Pranab Mukherjee at an Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. 5th National Handloom Day [07 Aug 2019] The 5th National Handloom Day was held at 16 NIFT Campuses and Weavers’ Service Centres in different States across the coun- try. Handloom Mela and exhibition, work- shops, panel discussion were organised and special stalls were put up for handloom products at Gandhinagar and Kolkata NIFT campuses. Mindtree Names Debashis Chatterjee As New CEO [02 Aug 2019] Debashis Chatterjee was named chief ex- ecutive officer and managing director of Mindtree Ltd. after his predecessor quit following Larsen & Toubro Ltd.’s hos- tile takeover of the mid-sized information technology firm. Chatterjee, previously the president of global deliveries and the global leader for digital systems and technology practices at Cognizant Technology Solu- tions Corp., has been appointed as MindtreeCEO for five years, according to the com- pany’s exchange filing. Guruprasad Mohapatra Assumes charge as Secretary DPIIT [01 Aug 2019] Dr. Guruprasad Mohapatra,an Indian Ad- ministrative Service (IAS) Officer of 1986 batch,today assumed charge of the office of Secretary, Department for Promotion of In- dustry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Hima Das appointed first youth ambas- sador of UNICEF India [31 Jul 2019] Asian Games gold-medallist sprinter Hima Das has been appointed as the first ever youth ambassador of United Nations Chil- dren's Fund (UNICEF) India. Hima Das, a native of Assam's Nagaon district, had clinched a gold medal in Women's 4 x 400 m Relay event at the 2018 Asian Games. She had also won a silver medal in Women's 400m Race event with a clock timing of 50.59 seconds. Cabinet approves ISRO Technical Liaison Unit at Moscow [31 Jul 2019]The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minis- ter Narendra Modi has approved the setting up of ISRO Technical Liaison Unit (ITLU) at Moscow, Russia. ISRO will be able to collabo- rate with Space agencies/industries in Rus- sia and neighbouring countries for mutu- ally synergetic outcomes. ISRO’s Gaganyaan programme requires development of some of the key technologies and establishment of specialized facilities, which are essen- tial to support life in space. Keeping in view the 15th August, 2022 timeline for realization of the Gaganyaan human space programme, it is prudent to avail technical cooperation from International space agen- cies, who have already demonstrated their technical capabilities in specific areas. Rus- sia, being one of the space faring nations, it is envisaged to collaborate with Russia ex- tensively in various fields of relevance. Triple talaq bill finally cleared by Rajya Sabha [30 Jul 2019] The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, first brought to parlia- ment nearly 19 months back, had been stuck due to the opposition in the Rajya Sabha where the National Democratic Al- liance did not have a majority. Today it is cleared its toughest test in the Rajya Sabha when some parties opposed to the law anddecided to abstain from voting. Their ab- sence from voting helped bring down the effective strength of the 240-member Rajya Sabha and the majority mark. The opposi- tion demand to send the bill to a select com- mittee was rejected with only 84 members voting for it, 100 against. The triple talaq bill was passed soon after with 99 members in support. Senior IAS officer Rajiv Kumar appointed as new Finance Secretary [30 Jul 2019] Senior IAS officer Rajiv Kumar, currently serving as Financial Services Secretary, was appointed as the new Finance Secretary. The Appointments Committee of the Cab- inet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the designation of Kumar as the new Finance Secretary. Boris Johnson took office as British prime minister [24 Jul 2019] Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson elected as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He is the leader of the Conservative Party since July 2019. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Uxbridge and South Ruislip since 2015 and was the MP for Hen- ley from 2001 to 2008. He also served asMayor of London from 2008 to 2016 and Foreign Secretary from 2016 to 2018. GSLV MkIII-M1 Successfully Launches Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft [22 Jul 2019] India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV M«kIII-M1, — successfully launched the 3840 kg Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft into an earth orbit. The space- craft is now revolving round the earth with a perigee (nearest point to Earth) of 169.7 km and an apogee (farthest point to Earth) of 45,475 km. This flight marks the first op- erational flight of the GSLV Mk III. Top 10 Indian states where the average life expectancy is highest [19 Jul 2019] RBI released its 2019 Handbook of Statis- tics on Indian States that includes data on life expectancy. It reveals a massive gap be- tween the top states compared to the bot- tom ranks. The average life expectancy in India is far lower than countries such as Bangladesh and Cambodia. Top 10 Indian States are:Kerala: Average life expectancy - 75.1 years; Male life expectancy — 72.2 years; Female life expectancy — 79.9 years. Jammu & Kashmir: Average life expectancy - 73.5 years; Male life expectancy -— 71.6 years; Female life expectancy — 76.2 years. Punjab: Average life expectancy - 72.5 years; Male life expectancy — 71 years; Female life expectancy — 74.2 years. Himachal Pradesh: Average life expectancy - 72.3 years; Male life expectancy - 69.4 years; Female life expectancy - 75.5 years Maharashtra: Average life expectancy - 72.2 years; Male life expectancy — 70.8 years; Fe- male life expectancy - 73.7 years. Uttarakhand: Average life expectancy - 71.5 years; Male life expectancy — 68.5 years; Fe- male life expectancy — 74.8 years. Tamil Nadu: Average life expectancy - 71.4 years; Male life expectancy — 68.5 years; Fe- male life expectancy — 74.8 years. West Bengal: Average life expectancy - 70.8 years; Male life expectancy — 69.8 years; Fe- male life expectancy — 71.9 years. Andhra Pradesh: Average life expectancy - 69.6 years; Male life expectancy - 68 years; Female life expectancy — 71.4 years. Gujarat: Average life expectancy- 69.5 years; Male life expectancy — 67.4 years; Fe- male life expectancy — 71.8 years.Novak Djokovic beats Roger Federer in epic Wimbledon final [15 Jul 2019] Novak Djokovic beats Roger Federer in epic Wimbledon final to win 16th Grand Slam title. Victory took the 32-year-old Serbian level with Bjorn Borg in fourth place on the all-time list of men’s winners at Wimbledon and increased his Grand Slam tally to 16. England win maiden World Cup title [15 Jul 2019] England are crowned world champions for the first time. New Zealand tied England’s score of 15 in the super over but England were crowned champions as they had hit six more boundaries than the Kiwis dur- ing regulation play of 50 overs. As a result, according to the ICC rules, England were crowned champions even though the scores were level after the super over. Ben Stokes has been given the man of the match award in the final. SBI’s Anshula Kant appointed MD and CFO of World Bank [13 Jul 2019] Anshula Kant, managing director of the State Bank Of India, has been appointed as managing director and chief financial offi-cer of the World Bank. As Managing Direc- tor and Chief Financial Officer, Kant will be responsible for financial and risk manage- ment of the World Bank Group, reporting to the President. Dutee Chand wins historic 100-metre gold in Naples [10 Jul 2019] Dutee Chand won the gold medal in the women's 100-metre sprint at the 30th Sum- mer University Games in Naples. This is the first time an Indian has won a 100-metre gold at a global event. Mirabai Chanu wins gold at Commonwealth Senior Weightlifting Championship [09 Jul 2019] Mirabai Chanu lifted a total of 191kg (84kg + 107kg) in women's 49 kg to win the gold in the Commonwealth Senior Weightlifting Championship. National recrod holder Muhammed Anas wins 200m gold in Poland [08 Jul 2019] National record holder Muhammed Anas won the gold in men's 200m race at the Kutno Athletics Meet in Poland. Anasclocked 21.18 seconds to win the race while Noah Tom took the silver in 21.66 seconds. India gets its 38th WORLD UNESCO World HERITAGE SITE as Pink City Jaipur [06 Jul 2019] India’s nomination of the Jaipur City, Ra- jasthan got inscribed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO during the 43rd Session of the World Heritage Committee held at Baku, Azerbaijan. The nomination of Jaipur City has successfully been done by comply- ing with the various UNESCO guidelines of 2017. With Successful inscription of Jaipur City, India has 38 world heritage sites , that include 30 Cultural properties, 7 Natural properties and 1 mixed site. New Space India Ltd. incorporated as anew commercial arm of Dept of Space [05 Jul 2019] Presenting the General Budget 2019-20 in the Parliament, Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sithara- man said that a Public Sector Enterprise viz. New Space India Limited (NSIL) has been incorporated as a new commercial arm of Department of Space to tap the benefits of the Research & Development carried outby ISRO. The Company will spearhead com- mercialization of various space products including production of launch vehicles, transfer to technologies and marketing of space products. Rs 3000 crore allocated for Ministry of DoNER in General Budget 2019-20 [05 Jul 2019] The Union Minister of Finance and Cor- porate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2019-20 in Parliament here. The Budget Estimates for Ministry of Development of North Easter Region for FY 2019-20 is Rs 3,000 crore as compared to the RE of Rs 2629 crore in FY 2018-19. Defence Budget Allocation for 2019-20 at Rs3.19 Lakh Crore [05 Jul 2019] Union Budget for the financial year 2019-20, presented by the Finance Minister Smt Nirmala Sitharaman in the Parliament, envisaged a total outlay of Rs27,86,349 crore. Out of this Rs 3,18,931.22 crore has been earmarked for Defence (excluding De- fence Pension).Hima Das wins 200m gold in Poland [04 Jul 2019] Star Indian sprinter Hima Das won the women's 200m gold in Poland. This was Hima's first competitive 200m race of the year. She has a personal best of 23.10s, which she clocked last year. National Doctors' Day 2019 [01 Jul 2019] National Doctor's Day is celebrated to hon- our the legendary physician and the second Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy. Dr Roy was honoured with the country's highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna on February 4, 1961. The celebration of the Doctors' Day is an attempt to empha- sise on the value of doctors in our lives and to offer them our respects by commemorat- ing one of their greatest representatives. Shri Arvind Kumar is appointed as Director, Intelligence Bureau [26 Jun 2019] The ACC has approved the appointment of Shri Arvind Kumar, IPS (AM:84), Special Director, Intelligence Bureau as Director, In- telligence Bureau vice Shri Rajiv Jain on completion of his tenure on 30.06.2019 for a tenure of two years from the date of as-sumption of charge of the post or until fur- ther orders, whichever is earlier. Shri Samant Kumar Goel is appointed as Di- rector, Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW) [26 Jun 2019] The ACC has approved the appointment of Shri Samant Kumar Goel, IPS (PB:84), Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat (SR) as Secretary, Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW) vice Shri A.K. Dhasmana on com- pletion of his tenure on 29.06.2019 for a tenure of two years from the date of as- sumption of charge of the post, or until fur- ther orders, whichever is earlier. Annu Rani clinches bronze [21 Jun 2019] Annu Rani won the women’s javelin bronze in the 58th Ostrava Golden Spike athletics meet, an IAAF World Challenge event. Suman Rao crowned Miss India World 2019 [16 Jun 2019] Suman Rao, a CA student from Rajasthan, emerged the winner of Miss India World 2019. The ceremony was held at the SardarVallabhbhai Patel Indoor Stadium on June 15. Akshaya Patra wins BBC award [15 Jun 2019] Akshaya Patra, a non-profit organisation running one of the world’s largest school meals project in India, has been awarded the BBC World Service Global Champion Award for the programme. The award, pre- sented at the BBC Food and Farming Awards in Bristol this week, recognises a person or project that is changing the way the world produces, processes, consumes or thinks about food for the better. The Bengaluru- based NGO was selected by an international panel of judges from nominations sent in by the World Service audience around the world. Amitav Ghosh conferred Jnanpith Award [13 Jun 2019] Author Amitav Ghosh was felicitated with the 54th Jnanpith Award for his “outstand- ing contribution to the enrichment of In- dian Literature in English’. Former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, who was the chief guest at the event, pre- sented the award to the author. Mr. Ghosh isthe first English language writer to become a Jnanpith laureate. New agency to develop space warfare weapon systems [12 Jun 2019] The Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cleared the setting up of the Defence Space Research Agency (DSRO) which has been en- trusted with the task of creating space war- fare weapon systems and technologies. Cabinet approves the Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Bill, 2019 [12 Jun 2019] The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved to introduce a Bill, namely, the Special Eco- nomic Zones (Amendment) Bill, 2019 that is the Bill to replace the Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019 (12 of 2019). After the amendment of sub-sec- tion (v) of section 2 of the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005, a trust or any entity noti- fied by the Central Government will be eligi- ble to be considered for grant of permission to set up a unit in Special Economic Zones.DRDO launches Technology Demonstrator Vehicle [12 Jun 2019] Defence Research and Development Or- ganisation (DRDO)launched a Technology Demonstrator Vehicle to prove a number of critical technologies for futuristic missions from Dr Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha. The missile was successfully launched at 1127 Hours. Various radars, telemetry stations and electro optical track- ing sensors tracked the vehicle through its course. The data has been collected and will be analysed to validate the critical technolo- gies. Rafael Nadal racks up 12th French Open crown [10 Jun 2019] Rafael Nadal won his 12th French Open crown, leaving Dominic Thiem crushed and a packed Parisian stadium shaking their heads in wonder. Nadal, who becomes the first player to win the same Grand Slam title 12 times, going past Margaret Court's 11 Australian Opens, now sits two major titles behind his great foe and men’s Grand Slam title record holder, Roger Federer. Government of India, Government of Tamil Nadu and World Bank sign $287 million loan agreement [04 Jun 2019]The Government of India, Government of Tamil Nadu (GoTN) and the World Bank today signed a $287 million loan agree- ment for the Tamil Nadu Health System Re- form Programme. The programme aims to improve the quality of health care, reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and fill equity gaps in reproductive and child health services in Tamil Nadu. Mohana Singh becomes first woman fighter pilot to fly Hawk jet [02 Jun 2019] Flight Lieutenant Mohana Singh has be- come the first woman fighter pilot to fly by day a Hawk advanced jet aircraft. She achieved the feat at the Kalaikunda Air Force Station in West Bengal. Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 to secure sixth European crown [02 Jun 2019] Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League Final at Esta- dio Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain. Jurgen Klopp wins his first Champions League title as a manager. Admiral Karambir Singh, PVSM, AVSM, ADC Chief of the Naval staff [31 May 2019]Admiral Karambir Singh assumed com- mand of the Indian Navy today (31 May 19) as the 24th Chief of the Naval Staff. Ad- miral Karambir Singh is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla. Commissioned into the Indian Navy in July 1980, he earned his wings as a helicopter pilot in 1981 and has flown extensively on the Chetak (Alouette) and Kamov heli- copters. He is a graduate of the Defence Ser- vices Staff College, Wellington; College of Naval Warfare, Mumbai and has served as Directing Staff in both these institutions. Y S Jagan takes oath as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh [30 May 2019] Y S Jaganmohan Reddy became the second Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh since its bifurcation after he was administered the oath of office by Governor E S L Narasimhan at a ceremony in Vijayawada’s IGMC Sta- dium. NCLT approves Tata Steel takeover of Bhushan Energy [30 May 2019] The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved the resolution plan of Tata SteelNSE -1.08 % to acquire debt-ridden Bhushan Energy Ltd for around Rs 800crore. The principal bench of NCLT Delhi also rejected objections from Bhushan En- ergy's former promoter Neeraj Singal op- posing Tata Steels' bid. Under the resolution plan, Tata Steel will offer an upfront pay- ment of Rs 730 crore. It would also pay Rs 50 crore additionally to operational creditors of the company. Naveen Patnaik takes oath for fifth time [29 May 2019] Naveen Patnaik is only the third Indian chief Minister after Pawan Chamling and Jyoti Basu to win five consecutive terms as chief minister. He is 72 years old currently, and if he completes this term fully, he would be very close to becoming the longest serving Chief Minister. DRDO successfully test fires AKASH - MK -1S [27 May 2019] Defence Research and Development Or- ganisation (DRDO) has successfully test fired AKASH-MK-1S missile from ITR , Chandipur, Odhisa on 25 and 27 May 2019. Akash Mk1S is an upgrade of exist- ing AKASH missile with indigenous Seeker. AKASH Mk1S is a surface to air missile which can neutralize advanced aerial tar-gets. The Akash weapon system has com- bination of both command guidance and active terminal seeker guidance. Seeker and guidance performance have been consis- tently established in both the missions. All the mission objectives have been met. Chandrani Murmu becomes youngest Mem- ber of Parliament [25 May 2019] Chandrani Murmu, a 25-year-old engineer- ing graduate from Odisha has become the youngest Member of Parliament to the 17th Lok Sabha. Chandrani Murmu represents tribal-dominated Keonjhar. Successful Firing of BrahMos Air Launched Missile from Su-30 MKI Aircraft [22 May 2019] IAF successfully fired the BrahMos air ver- sion missile from its frontline Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft. The launch from the air- craft was smooth and the missile followed the desired trajectory before directly hitting the land target. The air launched BrahMos missile is a 2.5 ton supersonic air to surface cruise missile with ranges of close to 300 km, designed and developed by BAPL. The IAF became the first Air Force in the world to have successfully fired an air launched2.8 Mach surface attack missile of this cat- egory on a sea target on 22 Nov 17. To- day’s was the second such live launch of the weapon. ISRO successfully launches earth observa- tion satellite RISAT-2B [22 May 2019] Indian space agency ISRO scripted history by successfully launching earth observa- tion satellite RISAT-2B that would en- hance the country's surveillance capabili- ties among others. The RISAT-2B (Radar Imaging Satellite-2B), meant for application in fields such as surveillance, agriculture, forestry and disaster management support, was released into the orbit around 15 min- utes after the lift-off. It would replace the RISAT-2, which was successfully launched in 2009. Pakistan appoints Moin-ul-Haq as India's new envoy [21 May 2019] Career diplomat Moin-ul-Haq has been ap- pointed as Pakistan's new High Commis- sioner to India to start a new process of engagement with the country where a new government will be formed soon, amid strained relations between the two nuclear- armed neighbours.Rafael Nadal beats Novak Djokovic in Italian Open [20 May 2019] Rafael Nadal exacted the perfect form of re- venge on Novak Djokovic after storming his way to a record 34th ATP Masters 1000 title at the Italian Open. Ina first for Asia, Taiwan Bill legalises same- sex marriages [18 May 2019] Taiwan's Parliament legalised same-sex marriage in a landmark first for Asia as the government survived a last-minute at- tempt by conservatives to pass watered- down legislation. Lawmakers comfortably passed a Bill allowing same-sex couples to form "exclusive permanent unions" and an- other clause that would let them apply for a "marriage registration" with government agencies. GS Lakshmi becomes first female ICC match referee [15 May 2019] India’s GS Lakshmi has become the first fe- male match referee after the International Cricket Council (ICC) named the 51-year-old in its list of elite match officials.Beckenbauer named Football for Friendship ambassador [15 May 2019] Two-time Ballon d’Or holder Franz Becken- bauer has been named the global ambas- sador of the Football for Friendship forum, to be held in Madrid later this month. The German legend will meet the participants of the forum and, based on personal experi- ences, present case studies that are relevant to achieving high professional success for beginner-level athletes. DRDO Successfully Conducts Flight Test of ABHYAS [13 May 2019] Defence Research and Development Organ- isation (DRDO) conducted successful flight test of ABHYAS - High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) from Interim Test Range, Chandipur in Odisha. The flight test was tracked by various RADARS & Electro Optic Systems and proved its performance in fully autonomous way point navigation mode. The configuration of ABHYAS is de- signed on an in-line small gas turbine engine and uses indigenously developed MEMS based navigation system for its nav- igation and guidance. The performance of the system was as per simulations carried out and demonstrated the capability of AB-HYAS to meet the mission requirement for a cost effective HEAT. Emperor Naruhito takes the throne, and a new era arrives in Japan [01 May 2019] The new emperor, Naruhito, who received the sacred imperial regalia that represents his rightful succession to the world’s oldest monarchy, takes the place of an enormously popular monarch. Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria takes over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff [01 May 2019] Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadau- ria PVSM AVSM VM ADC took over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff. The Air Marshal is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy. He was commissioned in the fighter stream of IAF on 15 Jun 1980 and won the cov- eted ‘Sword of Honour’ for standing first in the overall order of merit.He has over 4250 hours of experience on twenty six types of fighters and transport aircraft with the unique distinction of being an Experimen- tal Test Pilot, aCat ‘A’ Qualified Flying In- structor and a Pilot Attack Instructor.Indian and French Navies conduct Varuna 19.1 Bilateral Exercise Off Goa coast [01 May 2019] The first part of the Indo-French joint naval exercise, Varuna 19.1 will be conducted off the Goa coast from 1st to 10th May 19. The upcoming 17th edition includes partic- ipation of the French Navy’s aircraft carrier FNS Charles de Gaulle, two destroyers, FNS Forbin and FNS Provence, the frigate FNS Latouche-Treville, the tanker FNS Marne and a nuclear submarine. From the In- dian side, the aircraft carrier INS Vikrama- ditya, destroyer INS Mumbai, the Teg-class frigate, INS Tarkash, the Shishumar- class submarine, INS Shankul, and the Deepak- class fleet tanker, INS Deepak, will be partic- ipating in this exercise. Dominic Thiem won Barcelona Open title [28 Apr 2019] World number five Dominic Thiem cap- tured his second title of the year after thrashing Russian Daniil Medvedev 6-4 6-0 in the Barcelona Open final. Abhishek Verma wins gold in ISSF World Cup 2019 [27 Apr 2019]Indian shooter Abhishek Verma not only won his first gold at the ISSF Shooting World Cup in Beijing, China but also secured the fifth Olympic quota for the country by finishing top in the men’s 10m air pistol event. Shooting in his maiden ISSF World Cup final, the lawyer-turned-shooter led the field throughout to clinch the top spot with a total score of 242.7. Bajrang Punia wins gold at the 2019 Asian Wrestling Championships [27 Apr 2019] Bajrang Punia opened India’s medal tally at the Asian Wrestling Championships with a gold in the 65kg freestyle category, beating Sayatbek Okassov 12-7 in the final in Xi’an, China. Shri Rajendra Kumar Nayak Took Over as CGDA [22 Apr 2019] Shri Rajendra Kumar Nayak took over as the 52nd Controller General of Defence Ac- counts on April 22, 2019. He is from the Indian Defence Accounts Service of 1983 batch. He was Additional Controller General of Defence Accounts, Defence Accounts De- partment, Ministry of Defence before tak- ing over as the CGDA.Asian Athletics Championships 2019: PU Chitra wins gold [21 Apr 2019] PU Chitra won gold in women’s 1500m (clocking 4:14.56) at the 23rd Asian Athlet- ics Championships in Doha. With this win, she also qualified for World Championships which will be held later in the year. First Indian woman scientist in London's Royal Society [17 Apr 2019] Gagandeep Kang is the first Indian woman scientist to be selected as a Fellow of the Royal Society. Gagandeep Kang is a clinician scientist and a professor in the Depart- ment of Gastrointestinal Sciences at the famous Christian Medical College, Vellore. She is the current executive director of the Translational Health Science and Technol- ogy Institute, Faridabad, which is an auton- omous institution under the department of biotechnology of the science and technol- ogy ministry. Before Kang, two Indian ori- gin women scientists - British microscopist Pratibha Gai (2016) and American microbi- ologist Lalita Ramakrishnan (2018) - had re- ceived the honour. Pulitzers given to Aretha Franklin, author Richard Powers [16 Apr 2019]Aretha Franklin received an honorary Pulitzer Prize, as judges praised the Queen of Soul "for her indelible contribution to American music and culture." Competitive Pulitzers were awarded to books about two other giants of American history- Frederick Douglass and Alain Locke. Russia awards PM Narendra Modi with highest state honour [13 Apr 2019] Russia awarded its highest state honour ‘Order of St Andrew the Apostle' to PM Narendra Modi for promoting bilateral spe- cial and privileged strategic partnership. The Order of St Andrew the Apostle is awarded to prominent statesmen and pub- lic figures and representatives of science, culture, the arts and various industries for their exceptional services in promoting the prosperity, greatness and glory of Russia. The order can also be awarded to foreign heads of state for outstanding services to Russia. Among the foreign awardees are the President of China Xi Jinping, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, of the Republic of Azerbaijan Geydar Aliev. UAE confers highest civil honour on Indian PM Modi [04 Apr 2019]The United Arab Emirates (UAE) conferred its highest civilian honour, the Zayed Medal (Order of Zayed), upon Indian Prime Minis- ter Narendra Modi. PSLV-C45 successfully launches EMISAT and 28 customer satellites [01 Apr 2019] India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV- C45) today successfully launched EMISAT and 28 international customer satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR in Sriharikota. This flight marked the first mission of PSLV-QL, a new vari- ant of PSLV with four strap-on motors. EMISAT is a satellite built around ISRO’s Mini Satellite-2 bus weighing about 436 kg. The satellite is intended for electro- magnetic spectrum measurement. The 28 international customer satellites, together weighing about 220 kg, are from four countries, namely, Lithuania (2), Spain (1), Switzerland (1) and USA (24). These foreign satellites were launched as part of commer- cial arrangements. Italy signs new ‘Silk Road’ protocol with China [24 Mar 2019] Italy signed a "non-binding" protocol with China to take part in Beijing's new "Silk Road" of transport and trade links stretch-ing from Asia to Europe. In doing so, Italy became the first G7 country to sign up for the massive project which has sparked un- ease in the U.S. and the European Union (EU) as China aspires to a greater world role. Vice Admiral Karambir Singh is appointed as Chief of Naval Staff [23 Mar 2019] The Government have appointed Vice Ad- miral Karambir Singh, presently Flag Offi- cer Commander-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) East- ern Naval Command as next Chief of the Naval Staff with effect from afternoon of May 31, 2019. The present Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba retires on the same day. Vice Admiral Karambir Singh is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. Vice Admiral Karambir Singh has been decorated with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM). Justice P. C. Ghose appointed first Lokpal [20 Mar 2019] Former Supreme Court judge Pinaki Chan- dra Ghose became the first Lokpal of the country with his appointment along with other eight members on March 19. Besides Justice (retd.) Ghose, other judicial mem-bers are Justice (retd.) Dilip B. Bhosale, Justice (retd.) P. K. Mohanty, Justice (retd.) Abhilasha Kumari and Justice (retd.) A. K. Tripathi. The non-judicial members include former Sashastra Seema Bal chief Archana Ramasundaram, ex-Maharashtra Chief Sec- retary Dinesh Kumar Jain, Mahender Singh, and I. P. Gautam. Justice (retd.) Ghose’s ap- pointment has come nearly five years after the Lokpal Act was notified on January 16, 2014 after it was passed in 2013 following a countrywide anti-corruption movement. The law provides for a Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in States to probe cases of corruption against top public servants in- cluding the Prime Minister and Chief Minis- ters. BJP's Pramod Sawant sworn in as Goa Chief Minister [19 Mar 2019] Pramod Sawant, former Speaker of the Goa legislative Assembly and BJP MLA from Sankhelim in north Goa, was sworn in as the 11th Chief Minister of Goa. World Consumer Rights Day 2019 Observed [15 Mar 2019] The Department of Consumer Affairs, Min- istry of Consumer Affairs Food and Pub-lic Distribution, Government of India cel- ebrated the World Consumer Rights Day 2019 with the theme “Trusted Smart Products” on 15th March 2019 at Vi- gyan Bhavan, New Delhi.The Programme- was presided over by Mr Justice RK Agrawal, President, and NCDRC. MR Kumar appointed LIC as Chairman [13 Mar 2019] The government appointed MR Kumar as the Chairman of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) and Vipin Anand and TC Suseel Kumar as the managing directors (MDs). Dr. A.K. Mohanty takes over as Director BARC [12 Mar 2019] Dr. A. K. Mohanty, distinguished Scientist and Director, physics group of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and Di- rector, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata took over as Director, BARC from Shri K.N. Vyas, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary to the Govern- ment of India, Department of Atomic En- ergy. Twin Success for Guided PINAKA [11 Mar 2019]Defence Research and Defence Organisation (DRDO) today successfully test fired the Guided PINAKA from Pokhran ranges. The weapon system is equipped with state-of- the-art guidance kit comprising of an ad- vanced navigation and control system. In both the missions, the weapon systems impacted the intended targets with high precision and achieved desired accuracies. Telemetry Systems tracked and monitored the vehicle all through the flight path. All the mission objectives have been met. India Bags First Prize at The International ‘Golden City Gate Tourism Awards 2019’ In ‘TV Cinema Spot’ Category at ITB, Berlin [09 Mar 2019] The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has won the First Prize in the category of TV Cinema Spot at the prestigious inter- national Golden City Gate Tourism Awards 2019. The Golden City Gate Tourism Multi- media Awards are given annually in various categories related to the Tourism and Hos- pitality sectors. The ‘Golden City Gate’ is a creative multi-media international compe- tition for countries, cities, regions and ho- tels. The entries received for the awards are judged by an international jury compris- ing film and tourism experts. The annualaward ceremony takes place at ITB Berlin, the world’s leading tourism trade show. Prime Minister Modi flags off Nagpur Metro [07 Mar 2019] The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, lagged off the Nagpur Metro, through video conference from New Delhi. The 13.5 km long, Khapri- Sitabuldi section of the Nag- pur Metro was inaugurated through the digital unveiling of plaque. ISRO, French space agency seal agreement on maritime security [06 Mar 2019] National space agency ISRO and its French counterpart CNES sealed an agreement to set up a joint maritime surveillance system in the country in May. The two nations will explore putting up a constellation of low- Earth orbiting satellites that will identify and track movement of ships globally —- and in particular those moving in the Indian Ocean region where France has its Reunion Islands. Before that, they will initially share data from their present space systems and develop new algorithms to analyse them, according to the Paris based National Centre for Space Studies.PM Modi launches Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM-SYM) Yojana [05 Mar 2019] The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, launched the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM-SYM) Yojana at Vastral in Gujarat. He also distributed the PM-SYM pension cards to select beneficiaries. Over two crore workers at three lakh Common Service Centers across the country wit- nessed the launch event through video con- ference Terming it as a historic day, the Prime Minister dedicated PM-SYM Yojana to the forty two crore strong unorganized sec- tor workers in the country. He said that the scheme will assure a monthly pension of Rs.3000 for the enrolled unorganized sector workers during their old age. It is for the first time since independence that such a scheme is envisaged for the crores of work- ers engaged in the informal sector. Dr. Mahesh Sharma Inaugurates ‘Azaadi Ke Diwane’ Museum at Red Fort Complex in Delhi [04 Mar 2019] Dr. Mahesh Sharma inaugurated ‘Azaadi ke Diwane’ museum at Red Fort, Delhi today. Created by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the museum within the Red Fort complex pays homage to all the unsungheroes of freedom struggle of the nation, who would have otherwise been merged away in forgetfulness. The museum is fifth in the series of recently inaugurated mu- seums in the Red Fort Complex - others being, Subhash Chandra Bose and INA mu- seum, Yaad-e-Jallian museum, Museum on 1857 - India’s first war of Independence and Drishyakala - Museum on Indian Art. The ‘Azaadi ke Diwane’ museum talks about the sacrifices of great freedom fighters. It pays tribute to the selfless sacrifices of the rev- olutionaries, brave female freedom fighters and valiant children. PM launches One Nation, One Card in Ahmedabad for Mobility Single Card for seamless travel [04 Mar 2019] Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched One Nation, One Card for transport mobil- ity at a function in Ahmedabad today. The Indigenous Automatic Fare Collection Sys- tem based on One Nation One Card Model i.e. National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) is the first of its kind in India. India’s First Indigenously Developed Payment Eco- system for transport consisting of NCMC Card, SWEEKAR (Swachalit Kiraya: Auto- matic Fare Collection System) and SWAGAT (Swachalit Gate) is ased on NCMC Stan- dards. These are bank issued cards on Debit/Credit/Prepaid card product platform. The customer may use this single card for pay- ments across all segments including metro, bus, suburban railways, toll, parking, smart city and retail. The stored value on card supports offline transaction across all travel needs with minimal financial risk to in- volved stakeholders. The service area fea- ture of this card supports operator specific applications e.g. monthly passes, season tickets etc. Prayagraj Kumbh Mela 2019 makes it to the Guinness World Records [03 Mar 2019] Prayagraj Kumbh Mela 2019 has been placed in the Guinness World Records in three sectors. It includes largest traffic and crowd management plan, the biggest paint- ing exercise of public sites under paint my city scheme and biggest sanitation and waste disposal mechanism. A three mem- ber team from Guinness World Records vis- ited the Prayagraj for this purpose. India-Bangladesh Joint Military Exercise Sampriti - 2019 [03 Mar 2019] As part of the ongoing India Bangladesh defence cooperation, a joint military exer- cise Sampriti-2019 is being conducted atTangail, Bangladesh from 02 March to 15 March 2019. The eighth edition of Ex- ercise Sampriti, commenced at the Bon- gobondhu Cantonment, Tangail Bangladesh with an impressive opening ceremony on 03 March 2019. The participating contin- gents marched in and stood side by side and gave a ceremonial salute to the national flags of both the countries to the strains of “Jana Gana Mana” and the “Amar Shonar Bangla”. Young Scientist Programme Launched at ISRO [03 Mar 2019] Indian Space Research Organisation has launched a_ special programme for School Children called “Young Sci- entist Programme” ‘“YUva Vigyani Program is primarily aimed at impart- ing basic knowledge on Space Technology, Space Science and Space Applications to the younger ones with the intent of arous- ing their interest in the emerging areas of Space activities. ISRO has chalked out this programme to “Catch them young”. The residential training programme will be of around two weeks duration during summer holidays and it is proposed to select 3 stu- dents each from each State/ Union Terri- tory to participate in this programme everyyear covering CBSE, ICSE and State syllabus. Those who have finished 8th standard and currently studying in 9th standard will be eligible for the programme. National Institute of Unani Medicine at Ghaziabad [01 Mar 2019] Union Minister of State (IC) for AYUSH Shri Shripad Yesso Naik laid foundation stone for National Institute of Unani Medicine (NIUM) today at Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Government of India and ADB sign $926 Million Loan Agreement for Mumbai Metro Rail Project [01 Mar 2019] The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $926 Mil- lion Loan Agreement today to operational- ize two lines for the Mumbai Metro Rail Sys- tem that will ease the distress of millions of commuters each day and help provide a cleaner, less congested city. The Single Largest Infrastructure Project Loan in ADB history approved by the ADB Board on 26 February, 2019 - will help fund lines 2A (Dahisar to D.N. Nagar), 2B (D.N. Nagar- Bandra—Mandale), and 7 (Dahisar [East] to Andheri [East]), totaling about 58 kilome- ters (km). The project will fund 63 six-cartrains, signaling and safety systems, and help establish a new dedicated metro op- erations organization to manage the entire metro network in Mumbai. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Author- ity (MMRDA) will implement the project. 25th Prime Minister’s Trophy for Excellence in Performance of Integrated Steel Plants [01 Mar 2019] Tata Steel Limited, Jamshedpur Works, bagged the Prime Minister's Trophy for the Best Overall Performance along with a cash prize of Rs 2 Crore. Tata Steel was able to set new benchmarks in productivity, techno economics, innovation and R&D in 2016-17 for the domestic steel industry and its performance is close to international benchmarks in some select areas. The plant was also able to record best financial perfor- mance amongst all plants due to high effi- ciency, number of IPRsand product develop- ment. The Indian sanitary pad makers' story wins Oscar award [27 Feb 2019] A film based on young women in an Indian village who make sanitary pads has won an Oscar for best documentary short.President of India to present Gandhi Peace Prize [26 Feb 2019] President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind will present the Gandhi Peace Prize for the years 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018 at Darbar Hall, Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi. The awardees are as below: 1. Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari for the year 2015. 2. Akshaya Patra Foundation and Sulabh In- ternational for the year 2016 (Jointly). 3. Ekal Abhiyan Trust for the year 2017. 4. Sh Yohei Sasakawa for the year 2018. Saurabh Chaudhary wins gold with world record, secures Olympic quota [24 Feb 2019] Saurabh Chaudhary smashed the world record to win gold in the ISSF World Cup in New Delhi, securing India’s third Olympic quota. Appearing in his maiden senior World Cup, the 16-year-old claimed the top honours without much fuss in the men’s 10m air pistol event at the season-open- ing International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) event. First Saudi female ambassador replaces king’s son in U. S. [24 Feb 2019]Saudi Arabia appointed its first female am- bassador to serve as its top diplomat in the United States, pulling a son of King Salman back to the kingdom to serve as deputy defense minister amid deteriorating ties with America after the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, a daughter of the kingdom’s longtime ambassador to Washington Bandar bin Sul- tan Al Saud, faces a stark challenge in im- proving ties between the U.S. and Saudi Ara- bia. Apurvi Chandela breaks World Record to win India’s 1st gold medal [23 Feb 2019] India’s Apurvi Chandela broke World Record to register India’s first gold medal at the ISSF World Cup 2019. The 26-year-old shooter shot 252.9 in a thrilling 10m Women Air Rifle finale to bag the yellow metal on Day 1 of the tournament at Dr. Karni Singh Shoot- ing Range in New Delhi. PM Modi receives Seoul Peace Prize for 2018 [22 Feb 2019] Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the prestigious Seoul Peace Prize for 2018 for his contribution to international coopera- tion and fostering global economic growth.The award was presented to him by the Seoul Peace Prize Foundation at a grand cer- emony here. A short film on the life and achievements of Prime Minister Modi was also screened at the event. While conferring the award on Modi, the award committee recognised his contribution to the growth of Indian and global economies, crediting 'Modinomics' for reducing social and eco- nomic disparity between the rich and the poor. 4TH India-Asean Expo Summit on 21 - 23 February 2019 in New Delhi [21 Feb 2019] The 4th India-ASEAN Expo and Summit held on 21-23 February, 2019 in New Delhi. This is a flagship event of Department of Commerce, being organised with FICCI to carry forward the momentum and to further strengthen India-ASEAN relations under the Act-East Policy. The 4th India- ASEAN Expo and Summit, 2019 will build upon the success of the previous edition of ASEAN-India Business and Investment Meet and Expo which was held in 2018 as a precursor to India-ASEAN Commemo- rative Summit. The Association of South- East Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises of Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia, Lao PDR, Indonesia, Cambodia and Brunei. India's relationshipwith ASEAN is a key pillar of our foreign policy and the foundation of our Act-East Policy. India-ASEAN trade and investment relations have been growing steadily, with ASEAN being the second largest trading partner of India, after China, with a total bi- lateral merchandise trade of USD 81.33 bil- lion. Tagore Awards for Cultural Harmony for the Years 2014, 2015 and 2016 [18 Feb 2019] The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, presented the Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony for the years 2014, 2015 and 2016 to Shri Rajkumar Singha- jit Singh, Chhayanaut (a cultural organi- sation of Bangladesh) and Shri Ram Vanji Sutar respectively. Shri Rajkumar Singhajit Singh is a highly accomplished and senior most guru, exponent, chorographer, prolific writer and scholar of Manipuri dance. His name is synonymous with the propagation of Manipuri dance both in and outside Ma- nipur. Chhayanaut is a cultural organiza- tion of Bangladesh which has played a lead- ing role in the promotion of Tagore’s works and Bangla arts and literature not only within Bangladesh, but all across the world. It has also rushed to the aid of people at times of famines, floods or riots, bringingpeople together to resolve crisis with songs of protest on their lips. Shri Ram Vanji Sutar is a renowned sculptor and scholar. He has made more than 600 monumental sculp- tures in last eighty years. He has sculptured the mammoth 182 meter high statue of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, the world’s tallest statue (The Statue of Unity) which has recently been installed at Sardar Sarovar Dam, Gujarat. Sportstar Aces Lifetime Achievement Award for Padukone [15 Feb 2019 ] Prakash Padukone was honoured for Life- time Achievement while Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah shared the Sportsman of the Year (cricket) accolade at the Sportstar Aces Awards ceremony. Cheteshwar Pujara became the first recipient of the Chairman's Choice award, for his exploits in a historic Test series win for India in Australia. CBDT Chairman Sushil Chandra appointed as the new Election Commissioner [14 Feb 2019] Sushil Chandra, chairperson of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), has been ap- pointed as the new Election Commissioner of India.Cummins wins Allan Border Medal [12 Feb 2019] Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins won the Allan Border Medal, the country's high- est cricketing honour, after a tumultuous year for the sport that was rocked by the ball-tampering scandal. PM Lays Foundation Stone for Sela Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh [09 Feb 2019] Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Sela Tunnel Project in Arunachal Pradesh. The Project costing Rs. 687 crore being constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) would be completed in the next three years. It covers a total distance of 12.04 kms which consist of two tunnels of 1790 and 475 me- ters. Once completed this would result in:? (i) All weather connectivity to Tawang and forward areas. (ii) >Reduction in more than one hour of travelling time from Tezpur to Tawang. (iii) ?Travellers would be able to avoid the dangerous snow covered Sela top at a height of 13,700 feet.?PM launches DD Arunprabha - a dedi- cated 24x7 Satellite channel for Arunachal Pradesh [09 Feb 2019] Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today launched DD Arunprabha at Arunachal Pradesh. He also laid foundation stone of Film and Television Institute (FTI) and several other projects in the state. DD Arunprabha is the 24th satellite channel operated by Doordarshan. It is equipped with state of the art facilities, including a Digital Satellite News Gathering unit to provide live coverage from remote loca- tions, for 24x7 telecast. The playout facil- ity and the earth stations established at DDK Itanagar will ensure seamless trans- mission of DD Arunprabha. The permanent campus of Film and Television Institute will come up atJollang-Rakap (Jote), Papum Pare, Arunachal Pradesh. This is the third Film and Television Institute of Ministry of I&B, the first two being FTII Pune and SRFTI Kolkata. It is the first Film and Television In- stitute of entire North-East. Helicopter-launched anti-tank missile He- lina test-fired [08 Feb 2019]India test-fired its helicopter-launched ver- sion of one of the most-advanced anti-tank weapons from the Odisha coast. Helina, the helicopter-launched version of the Nag anti-tank guided missile with a hit range of 7-8 km, was launched from an Army chop- per. Mirabai Chanu strikes gold [08 Feb 2019] Former World champion S. Mirabai Chanu won the women’s 49kg gold in the EGAT Cup international weightlifting champi- onships, an Olympic qualifying event. FIFA rankings: India slips out of top-100 [08 Feb 2019] The Indian football team slipped out of the top-100 in the latest FIFA rankings follow- ing the back to back group league defeats at the AFC Asian Cup in the UAE. India slumped six places to be ranked 103 with 1,219 points. Vidarbha clinch Ranji Trophy [07 Feb 2019]Vidarbha clinch second successive Ranji Trophy crown for 2019 . Vidarbha Cricket Association announced a cash reward of Rs 3 crore for its victorious Ranji Trophy squad, which defended the title by defeat- ing Saurashtra in the final. India successfully launches latest commu- nication satellite GSAT-31 [06 Feb 2019] India's latest communication satellite GSAT-31 was successfully launched by Eu- ropean launch services provider Arianes- pace's rocket from French Guiana. Weigh- ing about 2,536 kg, the Indian satellite, GSAT-31, will provide continuity to opera- tional services on some of the in-orbit satel- lites. The satellite derives its heritage from ISROs earlier INSAT/GSAT satellite series, the space agency said, adding that it will provide communication services to Indian mainland and islands. GSAT-31 is the coun- try's 40th communication satellite which is configured on ISRO's enhanced 'I-2K Bus', utilising the maximum "bus capabilities" of this type. With a mission life of around 15 years, GSAT-31 will be used for supporting VSAT networks, Television uplinks, Digital Satellite News Gathering, DTH-television services, cellular backhaul connectivity and many such applications. The GSAT-31 is a"high power" communication satellite with Ku-band, and it is going to serve and replace some of the satellites that are going to ex- pire soon. Cabinet approves MoU between India and Finland in the field of Biotechnology [06 Feb 2019] The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Min- ister Narendra Modi has approved the MoU between India and Finland for collaborat- ing based on mutual interest in the field of Biotechnology, for funding and imple- menting ambitious industry-led innovative and transnational projects within the broad scope of research development and inno- vation. The Mou will support creation of long-term Research, Development & Inno- vation collaboration mechanism and to es- tablish and strengthen cooperative network between Indian and Finnish organizations. By funding need-oriented, ambitious joint projects of high international standards, the two countries aim to help reach world- class innovations beneficial to both coun- tries. It will also facilitate knowledge shar- ing and knowledge generation among sci- entists, researchers and industry in the two countries.Cabinet approves introduction of National Institutes of Food Technology, Enter- preneurship and Management Bill, 2019 [06 Feb 2019] The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Min- ister Narendra Modi has approved the in- troduction of National Institutes of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Manage- ment Bill, 2019.The objective of the bill is to confer the status of Institutions of National Importance to National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Manage- ment (NIFTEM) at Kundli, Haryana, and the Indian Institute of Food Processing Tech- nology (IIFPT) at Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. Rishi Shukla named to head CBI [03 Feb 2019] Former Director-General of Police of Mad- hya Pradesh Rishi Kumar Shukla, a 1983 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the M.P. cadre is appointed the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the country’s premier investigation agency, for two years.LT Gen Rajeev Chopra takes over as DG NCC [31 Jan 2019] Lt Gen Rajeev Chopra assumed the appoint- ment of Director General of NCC (DGNCC). Commissioned in the Madras Regiment in December 1980, Lt Gen Chopra is an alum- nus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. Suman Kumari is Pakistan’s first Hindu woman judge [30 Jan 2019] Suman Kumari has become the first Hindu woman to be appointed as a civil judge in Pakistan. Ms. Kumari, who hails from Qambar-Shahdadkot in Sindh province, will serve in her native district. She passed her LLB examination from Hyderabad and did her Masters in Law from Karachi’s Szabist University. National Salt Satyagraha Memorial in Dandi, Gujarat dedicated to the nation by PM [30 Jan 2019] Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dedi- cated the National Salt Satyagraha Memo-rial at Dandi in Navsari district, Gujarat to the nation on Mahatma Gandhi’s death an- niversary. At the memorial site, he also un- veiled statues of Mahatma Gandhi and 80 Satyagrahis who had marched with him during the historic Dandi Salt March in 1930 to make salt from sea water against the British law. The memorial also has 24- narrative murals depicting various events and stories from the historic 1930 Salt March. Solar trees are installed to meet the energy requirements of the memorial com- plex. The PM took a round through the memorial. New campus of National Museum Institute inaugurated at Noida [30 Jan 2019] The new Campus of the National Museum Institute was inaugurated by Shri Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister for Human Re- source Development at A-19, Sector 62, NOIDA (Institutional Area). ISRO launches military satellite Microsat-R [26 Jan 2019] India successfully launched Microsat-R, a military satellite on board its Polar rocket PSLV C44, from the spaceport, in the firstmission for the ISRO in 2019.The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) work- horse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) blasted off from the first launchpad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. Microsat-R, an imaging satellite, is meant for military pur- poses. Chinese scientists successfully clone five gene-edited monkeys [26 Jan 2019] Chinese scientists cloned five monkeys from a gene-edited macaque with cir- cadian-related disorders, another first for the country in the controversial field. The cloned monkeys were born in Shanghai at the Institute of Neuroscience of Chinese Academy of Sciences, according to two ar- ticles published in National Science Review. Researchers knocked out BMAL1 - a critical transcription factor for activating circadian rhythms - through gene editing at the em- bryo stage, then cloned a monkey with the mutation. Pranab Mukherjee, Nanaji Deshmukh, Dr Bhupen Hazarika conferred Bharat Ratna [25 Jan 2019]Former president Pranab Mukherjee, Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader Nanaji Desh- mukh and Singer Bhupen Hazarika were conferred the country's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna. Bhupen Hazarika was a playback singer, lyricist, musician, poet and film maker from Assam. Nanaji Desh- mukh, a social activist was known for his immense contributions in the field of edu- cation, health andrural self reliance. Pranab Mukherjee was the 13th President of India from 2012 to 2017. Samantha Stosur, Zhang Shuai win Aus- tralian Open women's doubles title [25 Jan 2019] Samantha Stosur and Zhang Shui took out the Australian Open women's doubles title to be crowned Grand Slam champions at Melbourne park for the first time. IndiGo appoints Ronojoy Dutta as CEO [24 Jan 2019] Aviation veteran Ronojoy Dutta was ap- pointed CEO of Interglobe Aviation, which operates IndiGo, the country’s biggest air- line by number of passengers.YES Bank is appointed Ravneet Gill as new CEO [24 Jan 2019] YES Bank is appointed Ravneet Gill as new CEO. Gill will succeed Rana Kapoor. Gill has handled capital markets, treasury, struc- tured finance, foreign exchange, transac- tion banking, risk management and private banking. Virat Kohli declared ICC ODI and Test player of the year [22 Jan 2019] Virat Kohli made a record-breaking clean sweep at 2018 ICC awards, making him the only cricketer to do so. He was declared as the ODI as well as Test player of the year. Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurates bridge over River Ravi in J&K [22 Jan 2019] Union Minister for Road Transport & High- ways, Shipping, Water Resources, River De- velopment and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari today inaugurated a 1210- meter span-bridge over the river Ravi in Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir. The bridge over Ravi at Keerian - Gan- dial will benefit over 2,20,000 people livingon the two sides — Kathua in Jammu, and Pathankot in Punjab. It will reduce the dis- tance between the two cities from 45 kms to 8.6 kms, which will save on both time and fuel cost. 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas Convention in Varanasi [21 Jan 2019] For the first time, the three day long 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas is being organized in Varanasi from 21-23 January, 2019. The theme of PBD Convention 2019 is "Role of Indian Diaspora in building New India". Raksha Mantri Dedicates Diffo Bridge in Arunachal to The Nation [18 Jan 2019] Raksha Mantri Smt Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the 426.60 metre long Pre Stressed Concrete Box Girder type bridge over Diffo river on Roing-Koron-Paya road in Arunachal Pradesh. Dedicating the bridge tothe nation, the Raksha Mantri praised the commendable work being done by Project Udayak, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in this region. BHEL and LIBCOIN to Build India’s First Lithium Ion Giga Factory [18 Jan 2019]Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and Libcoin are in dialogue to form a world class consortium to initially build 1GWh lithium ion battery plant in India. Its ca- pacity will be scaled up to 30GWh in due course. With this, India has finally taken steps into its energy security and clean en- ergy commitment to the world. Gandhi Peace Prize for 2015,2016,2017 and 2018 announced [16 Jan 2019] The Gandhi Peace Prize for the years 2015,2016,2017 and 2018 has been con- ferred on the following Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari for the year 2015 for their contribution in Rural Development, Education , Development of natural resources. For 2016 jointly to Akshaya Patra Founda- tion for its contribution in providing mid- day meals to millions of children across India and Sulabh International for its con- tribution in improving the condition of san- itation in India and emancipation of man- ual scavengers. Ekal Abhiyan Trust for the year 2017 for their contribution in providing Educationfor Rural and Tribal Children in remote areas pan India, Rural Empowerment, Gen- der and Social Equality. Shri Yohei Sasakawa for the year 2018 for his contribution in Leprosy Eradication in India and across the world. Government nominates Justice AK Sikri to Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tri- bunal [13 Jan 2019] Supreme Court judge A.K. Sikri, who voted with the government in the three- member committee to remove CBI Direc- tor Alok Verma, is understood to have been nominated to the post of President/ Member of the London-based Common- wealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal (CSAT). In fulfilment of its obligations under the Agreed Memorandum, the UK government passed the Commonwealth Secretariat Act 1966 which, among other things, gives the Commonwealth Secretariat legal personal- ity and accords it certain immunities and privileges. Mary Kom is World No. 1 [11 Jan 2019] M.C. Mary Kom’s unprecedented sixth World title last November has propelled her to the top position in the AIBA latestWorld rankings. In the latest rankings put out by AIBA, Mary Kom is placed top of the chart in the 48kg weight division with 1700 points. The 36-year-old will have to move to 51kg in pursuit of her 2020 Olympic dream as 48kg is not yet included in the Games roster. Other Indians’ rankings: Pinki Jan- gra (8th, 51kg); Manisha Maun (8th, 54kg); Sonia Lather (2nd, 57kg); Simranjit Kaur (4th, 64kg); L Sarita Devi (16th, 64kg); Lovlina Borgohain (5th, 69kg) .